Highway Patrol: Buckle up this Labor Day

The California Highway Patrol is reminding Labor Day weekend drivers to fasten their safety belts and secure safety seats on every trip to avoid risking danger to themselves and their children.

Labor Day weekend is also a maximum enforcement period for the CHP. All available officers will be on duty, said Lt. Tracy Sturges, commander of the CHP’s South Lake Tahoe-Area office.

“Every available officer will be on the road, and they’re going to be watching for drivers and passengers who aren’t buckled up,” Sturges said. “We’re homing in on motorists who ignore their safety belts or fail to properly secure children.”

The Commander emphasized that every passenger in a vehicle must be secured with a safety belt or child restraint system. “It’s illegal for two people to share a belt,” he said.

Passengers riding in the cargo area of a pickup truck or camper must be secured in federally approved seats that were installed after purchase and equipped with safety belts. “Belts prevent someone being ejected from the back of a truck and killed or seriously injured,” Sturges said. The CHP goal is to prevent loss of life, injuries and property damage.

The CHP also advises motorists to designate a driver if they intend to drink over the long weekend.

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“We want you to play it safe – be a sober driver, or have one designated to drive your vehicle,” Sturges said.